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The Haunting Moments of Broken Bones

It was only a matter of time. It was always going to happen. However
when your child walks out crying hysterically, and you lay your eyes on an arm
sitting at an impossible angle, the feeling that spreads throughout your body
is like nothing you’ve ever known before.

Arriving at the first hospital. Still smiles for a camera

Of course you immediately go into “let’s sort this shit out” mode, and I
got dressed and ready in a nano-second, called a cab and we were off to the
hospital, and then another hospital because I went to the wrong one – FUCK!

Those moments in the cab last night were very long and hard to endure,
but equally, we had three cabbies who showed the true majesty of the human
spirit – care and kindness.

But last night there were a couple of moments which I think will haunt
me for some time.

Firstly, though, what happened? The boys were in bed, promising to be
calm and go to sleep, so all seemed promising. Of course they weren’t going to
sleep, because apparently there were some issues to sort out - a fight over who
got to sleep with the cat I believe? A tussle ensued and Lex came down and
landed on his wrist. So glad we bought those bunkbeds – not.

When reality struck, there was nothing else to do but brace ourselves to
face the situation ahead.

However, the first moment that will haunt me for a while is with Jax. He
was devastated and convinced it was all his fault. Oh love, it was an accident
and it’s no one’s fault. Besides, he could have been the one to fall, so no one
can be blamed for what happened. It was bad luck all round and its kids right?

Two clean breaks

The challenge, though, was I couldn’t deal with Jax’s emotional needs at
that point, because Lex’s need was
much more important.

I left the apartment telling him it would all be OK, leaving him with Jona,
our lovely helper, and she told me he was in absolute torment all night. To
make matters worse, he didn’t see Lex this morning before school, because Lex
was still sleeping after returning home at 3am from the hospital.

Suffice to say this was a really really
bad time for Steve to be away on business.

The second haunting was the screams. Because Lex landed on his hand,
face and side, he had carpet burns on his face and hip. Due to possible head
trauma, they couldn’t put him under and instead had to use a blocker on the
arm, which they assured me would take away the pain. Once the blocker was in,
they could painlessly pull the bones back into place, as he’d broken both bones
in his right forearm cleanly.

I stayed with Lex in the operating room while they put in the IV
needles. Both hands required needles and no worries getting one into the unbroken
hand – success first time finding a vein.

However, it took five attempts on the broken hand and he was beside
himself by this point. I work really hard to help the kids not have a fear of
needles, but I think I lost a lot of ground last night.

IV needles in

It was now time to kick me out of the room, with the door promptly locked
behind me. Then the screaming started and it went on and on and on.

I was crying, walking around in circles, banging on the door, shoving
the door trying to get it loose. It wasn’t supposed to hurt, that’s what the
doctor said. I called Steve and he could hear Lex’s screams over the phone. I
feel bad I called him in hindsight, but what else can you do when you feel so
bloody hopeless and powerless?

I hung up. I couldn’t talk anymore. Then Lex screamed out “someone,
please, help me!” Oh fuck, what mother wants to hear that. It was completely
SHIT!

They wouldn’t let me in, but eventually a doctor was at the door
knocking, they let him in and there was no way I wasn’t coming in too.

“You said it wouldn’t hurt? This could screw him up for life. He might
change who he has the potential to be. He might become fearful. Scared of
taking risks. Frightened of doctors for the rest of his life. It wasn’t
supposed to hurt. I would never have agreed to this. Why couldn’t we sedate
him?”

Lex looked haggard. The doctor was very sweet and reassuring. She said
it probably isn’t hurting, but he is convinced it is. I don’t know. This was a
bad Core Memory moment for my sweetheart and we’ve got to work hard to make
sure he comes out of this stronger – somehow. Am I equipped for that? I don’t
know.

But then the reality of the new doctor struck. They got one bone back in
place, but this was an osteo doctor and the other bone needed to be put back in
place too. He couldn’t leave the hospital with one bone out of alignment. Also we
only had five minutes on the clock to do it. I had to leave the room again.
They locked the door.

2am can we PLEASE go home mum?

He didn’t scream this time. They got the bone back in place. Lex was so
bloody brave. So amazing. And he was actually quite funny too, especially with
his swearing attempts – “this frickin sucks” was one. How can you tell a kid off
for using mummy and daddy words at that point? He was quite right.

It completely sucked. I hated that Steve wasn’t there. I hated hearing
my kid scream in pain. I hated leaving another son in tears believing it was
all his fault. You’re right Lex, this frickin sucked a very big one.

But it’s done. It’s over. They won’t tussle on the beds again and we’re
lucky. It’s a broken bone and it will heal. We’re also in one of the best
cities in the world for medical support and both of our boys have a loving and
comfortable home. How can we complain?

Some of the kids in the hospital that night might never leave. Not to
mention many kids around the world are dealing with broken bones in warzones,
refugee camps, or freezing their arses off while trying to find sanctuary
somewhere in the world. We’re lucky. My boys are lucky.

It all goes back to a topic I’ve talked about before and why I have a common
tag for many of my blogs - bloody kids.
From the minute these precious souls are in your arms you know that you will
never ever be free from pain.

I often talk about an ethereal umbilical chord that remains attached between
a mother and child long after they are born, and then you face the reality of
your heart sitting outside your body every day after that. Their pain is your
pain. Their hurts, yours. The physical hurts are usually easier to deal with most
of the time, but the emotional pain is hard to identify and solve. No parent
wants to screw their kids up right? Not intentionally anyway.

It’s a gruesome kind of love, that between a parent and child, because
you don’t want anything bad to happen to them ever. However, you know it’s not
realistic. This is life. Sometimes life hurts. When life hurts your kid, you
hurt even more.

Before kids, it’s you. After kids, you add them into your heart. Into
your soul. It feels like a sadistic kind of love sometimes. For me anyway.

It’s probably also why I empathize with parents doing the wrong thing by children – however wrong
is defined.

Recovery starts today

I personally try really hard never to do the wrong thing – my boys are
everything and I want them to grow into whole
men. That’s also why last night was hard. It could have a big impact on Lex’s
future. That worries me.

However, because I feel this so deeply, I understand why some people do
need to block themselves off from their kids, that pain. It’s also why I work
really hard never to judge another parent, because perhaps they just don’t have
the courage to face the true and brutal essence of parenting – which is about
the ultimate in vulnerability - leaving yourself open to feel their pain, in
whatever way it manifests itself.

A bit deep, but this has all been a very deep experience for me. Lex and
I feel traumatized by last night. I’ve never cried so much. Everyone at the
hospital must have thought I was nuts, but I don’t give a shit. My little guy
was in pain. I was useless to help him. That sucked.

Another night, another bloody kids
moment. Thanks to my family and friends for the support. You don’t know what those
comments on Facebook, WhatsApp, etc… mean to me. In a moment of isolation, you
helped me feel connected to the greater human community – one of love and
compassion.

Love youse all.

Care to share your torments about your mini loves with me?

Yours without the bollocks

Andrea

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I grew up in country Australia, went to university in Melbourne studying music and ancient history, joined the Australian Army as a musician, entered the world of public relations, and then decided to head off around the world. That was 1995 and I'm still going, having lived in London, Boston, NYC, Thailand and Singapore - with a couple of short trips back to Australia in between. Singapore-based now, with an adorable husband and two rambunctious sons, my professional background is communication strategy and content marketying, with a focus on business and creative writing. My passion is people from all walks of life, and the amazing diversity of this extraordinary planet. I reckon life is pretty great, even though it can be crap sometimes too. I also blog extensively, with three blogs - my personal blog Without the Bollocks where I talk about life, my professional blog SAJE focused on all things communication, and a kids adventure blog for Singapore. Hey what can I say, I need to write!